Hello everyone, my name is Charlotte Cao. I’m a junior major in Cinema studies and minor in Japanese. I loved Japanese anime when I was a kid, and gradually became very interested in Japanese music, TV shows and movies. My favorite Japanese director is Hirokazu Koreeda, and I have watched almost every one of his films. This past spring semester, I took a Japanese literature class and read a lot of novels from 1945 to 2020, that helped me learn about Japanese novels.I think reading novels is a great way to learn about the Japanese language and Japanese culture.

The reason I am taking this class is because it is a requirement for my minor, and I am also very interested in the background of the Japanese language. I believe that the progression of a language is closely related to the cultural development of a country, and taking this class will definitely give me a deeper understanding of Japan. Also, I will be looking for a career in the field of film, and Japanese films have played a very important role in the film industry, both historically and today, so I think it is necessary to understand the background of the Japanese language.

As for other hobbies, I think it is particularly difficult to distinguish. I feel that there are different pursuits in each part of my life, which makes it hard for me to find an exact definition to describe myself for now. However I think it’s good, because it’s maybe too boring for people to be summarized in simplistic terms. I hope to grow and improve myself in the future with all of you and we could discover new aspects of each other.